Uchiha Drabbles
by Torixx
Summary: Various rated drabbles on Uchiha family. Various themes. Each chapter has it's own rating and summary. Rating M, but check the chapters for confirmation. Categorizing as general, see chapters.
1. Baby Brother

Strange Uchiha drabbles that come to me when I'm unable to sleep because the green light from my battery charger keeps me awake. Indeed-indeed.

Author notes: Keep your heads up for OOC-ness, since the show never did portray Itachi around the time Sasuke was born. Also, there are some original characters, because I needed relatives.

Chapter Title: Baby Brother

Chapter Rating: Probably T, for content. Nothing sexual (they're like four and an infant), but some dark themes.

Genre: Drama/General

Chapter Summary: Introspective to Itachi's thoughts when Sasuke was born. Apparently the Uchiha heir doesn't like not being the center of attention.

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

On Itachi's fifth birthday, he was awoken earlier than he normally would have woken up. The sound of dishes hitting the floor in the kitchen traveled through walls that at times felt paper-thin, and reached his sensitive ears. That sound clicked something in his subconscious, which rather rudely shifted his mind to a waking state.

Still rubbing his eyes, though all ready dressed for the warn June day in a pair of tan shorts and a short-sleeved black t-shirt--Uchiha fan proudly displayed on the back--the young clan heir made his way into the kitchen, a critical, if sleepy, eye taking in the bulge where his mother's slim stomach had been. It seemed to grow more and more each time he looked.

He had been told that this growing bump would be his little brother or sister, and today when his mother set down his breakfast--his favorite foods, since it was his birthday--she sat down across from him and smiled.

"Thank you, kaasan" He had said, always polite, even at that age. He had begun to eat, motions slow and calm, as was expected by him.

"I went to the doctor the other day, Itachi-kun(1), and he said that in about two months, I'll have the baby. Aren't you excited?(2)" She smiled again, and Itachi was struck by the thought of how different his parents were. It didn't linger, since he had to focus on chewing and swallowing to answer his mother's question.

"Yes, kaasan. Very excited." If Mikoto noticed the monotone her son spoke with, she didn't mention anything.

That afternoon, Fugaku came home early, as he always had on Itachi's birthday. There was a quiet lunch, just the three of them--how it should be, in Itachi's mind--before relatives started showing up with boxes wrapped in colorful tissue paper, and covered dishes.

Itachi watched from his place with the other children--cousins, second cousins, et cetera--as the women all crowded around Mikoto, asking questions about the new baby, exclaiming over how big she had gotten. His dark eyes stared as men slapped his father on the back in congratulations, a gesture that was taken with silence, not even a smile. Much like himself, his father never smiled.

"Ne, Itachi-kun, aren't you excited? You're going to have a little brother or sister!" One of his cousins squealed. He never tried to keep track of all of them at once, but he was pretty sure this girl's name was Michiru, a couple of months older than him. If he was right, she had a little brother who was almost a year old.

"I remember when little Daisuke was born, it was so exciting! Kaasan and tousan said that I was going to be able to help take care of him, too." She grinned, to which Itachi stared. He didn't even want this new baby, there was no way he would help take care of it.

Hours later, as the sun set, and the various relatives packed up and left, Itachi found himself standing next to his father, thanking people for coming, and for the gifts, as they walked away from the house.

He had wanted to ask Fugaku why there had to be another child in the family, why they had done something so stupid. Instead, he had said his thank-yous and farewells to the last of his relatives, and gone up to his room to sleep.

Itachi watched over the next month as his mother's stomach continued to grow. He watched and he grew to understand that a new baby would be like his replacement. Somehow, in his five-year-old logic, he decided that two things must be done: he would have to get rid of this new baby as soon as possible, and he would have to become the best at everything he did, so his parents would still need him.

Itachi put his plan into action immediately. He began to study ninja arts, while most children played at the park, he secluded himself away with some shuriken he had taken from the house, holding target practice on some trees. More often than not he'd come home with his hands bleeding, and when questioned stated that he wanted to train to be a ninja. Of course, neither of his parents found anything wrong with that, and his father even showed him how to properly hold a shuriken so as not to slice his hand open. Itachi's skills increased.

It was late at night, or maybe early in the morning, when Itachi heard noise coming from his parents room. Getting out of bed and making his way down the short hall, past the closed door of the room that would be the baby's, he stopped outside of his parents door, seeing light from underneath it. He heard what sounded like crying, before the door was shoved open, the sudden light making his eyes screw shut, as he moved aside to let whoever it was that wanted out get past.

Before Itachi entirely understood what was happening--for even if he was a genius at his age, he was still young, and tired--his parents were gone to the hospital, and his aunt was sitting in the living room with him, waiting up for his father to come home or call(3) with news.

"Itachi-kun, you can go to bed if you're tired." The older woman had said, smiling gently, after the third time he had begun to drift off on the couch.

Itachi snapped awake again, shaking his head. "I want to be up when tousan calls, Yumi-obasan." He had explained. Somehow, though, Itachi found himself waking in his bed the next day, sunlight streaming through the curtains.

He got up, not hearing any noises. Normally there would be the sound of his mother cooking in the kitchen, or his parents talking. There was silence.

Wait, no there wasn't. As Itachi stepped into the hallway, he heard the sound of his father talking softly with someone. Making his way as quietly as possible down the hall, towards the kitchen, the words became more clear.

"…doctor say that he was born a little early, but should be fine." His father was speaking, probably to Yumi-obasan.

"Have you picked out a name yet?" His aunt asked, neither of them noticing the small boy in the doorway.

"Hai. Uchiha Sasuke, second son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto." He answered, and Itachi frowned. His father was smiling.

Three days later--after bad meals cooked by various relatives--Mikoto finally came home from the hospital, carrying something wrapped in a blue blanket. She smiled when she saw Itachi, handing the something over to Fugaku--who had sent all the relatives away, so that the family could have some rest--and hugged him. She had cooed about how much she missed him, and told him he was brave for being alone all that time.

Then she had taken the something back, and sat down on the couch, motioning for him to sit next to her. Itachi did as directed, staring with narrowed dark eyes as Mikoto shifted the blue blanket, revealing the slightly red sleeping face of his new brother, Sasuke. He didn't voice his immediate dislike of the little thing, instead just staring.

A few days later, after Fugaku had gone back to work, and sometime between relative visits, Itachi woke up from his afternoon nap--a habit that he dropped last year, except the new baby always cried at night and kept him awake--to silence. Making his way out into the hallway, he looked around, seeing his mother asleep on the couch. No one else was in the house, except little Sasuke. An idea struck the older Uchiha.

Tip-toeing into his younger brother's room, he stared into the small crib his brother was in for a few minutes, before reaching forward with a hand, as if to stroke the baby's hair. He held the back of little Sasuke's head, turning him slightly--for the baby was on his stomach, head facing out into the room--and pressing his face into the sheet. He'd heard his parents worries about this, how they had put in the baby monitor in case he were to stop breathing. But the other end of the monitor was in his parent's room, at the opposite end of the house from the living room.

He pressed down, feeling the small body under his hand squirm, and moved his hand away, quickly. Little Sasuke's head turned back, the baby making a soft noise, still asleep. Itachi stared, reaching forward and turning his little brother's head into the mattress again, this time not moving his hand when he squirmed. He heard faint crying, and before he could think of what he was doing, his hand was gone again, and the thing that was supposed to be his brother was curled up on his stomach, crying.(4)

Mikoto rushed into the room, looking nervous. "Itachi-kun, what happened?" She questioned, seeing her first son standing there.

"I don't know, kaasan. I was looking at him, and I reached over to feel his hair, because it looks funny, and he started crying." Itachi lied, face completely serious. In the crib, Sasuke's cries subsided, and in Itachi's mind, his plan to get rid of the little thing that was taking away his parent's attention died away. Something about nearly taking away the young life that afternoon had seemed wrong. If he was going to kill his little brother, he wanted to have him fight back.

--

End Notes: 1500-plus word drabble about when Sasuke was born. I like it, in my own sick mind.

Story notes:  
(1) I'm assuming she would call him 'Itachi-kun' when he was little, since in the anime, she calls Sasuke 'Sasuke-kun' when addressing him.

(2) We'll just pretend like the doctor was able to effectively tell her about when she would have the baby. Two months seems right, anyways.

(3) I'm assuming that they have telephones. If you pay close attention, I think they have a TV, so why not a phone?

(4) This scene is sort of adapting from Stephen King's book, IT, when the five-year-old suffocates his baby brother. I did change it a bit, but I thought I'd credit my inspiration.

Please review if you read, I like feedback.

Edit: Fixing ages. I forgot Itachi was five years older than Sasuke. I suck at being a fangirl, huh? 


	2. Markings

Drabble number two.

Author notes: Dark, bloody, Sasuke-centric. Came up with it during the whole Forest of Death thing, when Sasuke refuses to strip down and go fishing. It's the reason besides the fan girls.

Chapter Title: Markings

Chapter Rating: M for blood, hints at incest (if you really look), and general dark themes, plus some naughty language.

Genre: Horror/Drama

Chapter Summary: Sasuke never shows his bare back to others.

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

When Sasuke was eight, his niisan went batshit crazy.

When Sasuke was eight, he was forced to watched helplessly as his brother went batshit crazy and killed everyone he loved.

When Sasuke was eight, the physical and psychological torture he endured would have driven a lesser man to suicide.

When Sasuke was eight, his brother marked him.

Sasuke would still trace the letters in his mind sometimes, the western writing that his brother had learned. When, he didn't know. Between training, missions, and avoiding spending time with his otouto, Itachi seemed constantly busy.

Sasuke didn't know what the markings meant, but he knew what they looked like.

The first, placed over his left shoulder blade, was a series of four lines. Two exactly vertical, on either side of the two slightly slanted ones. They made three points, two going up, one going down. M.

The next was two horizontal lines, a vertical line exactly centered on them. Exactly, because Itachi was perfect, even when carving his brother's back open with a kunai. This one was just to the right of the first one, on the left side of his spine. I.

The third marking was like the first, but it only had three lines. Two vertical, with a slanted line connected the top of the first to the bottom of the second. Placed just on the right of his spine. N.

The final marking was the most confusing to him. Placed over his right shoulder blade, a vertical line, with three horizontal lines coming off of it. One at the exact top, one at the exact bottom, the same length, and one in the exact middle, a bit shorter than the others. E.

Below those was a pattern he had grown to recognize, the dot surrounded by three other dots, these with tails, that symbolized a fully activated Sharingan.

Itachi had carved this into his brother's back the day he went batshit crazy. It had been Sasuke's reminded of something. He wasn't sure what, because he didn't know what the letters meant.

When Sasuke returned to his home after leaving the hospital, he had come across a book, hidden under Itachi's floor. The book had been written in the strange western letter. Sasuke had scoured it, looking for the four that were on his back. He found them individually, but never together.

Until he got to the last page. There, written in Itachi's careful script, were the letters. M. I. N. E. With the symbol below them. That was all that was on the page, and there was nothing after it. There was no help there.

When Sasuke was thirteen, he re-encountered his crazy, evil niisan, and rather foolishly attacked him.

When Sasuke was thirteen, his evil, crazy older brother again made him relive the day everyone he loved died.

When Sasuke was thirteen, and trapped within the Tsukiyomi, he didn't have the marking on his back.

When Sasuke was thirteen, and trapped within the Tsukiyomi, his brother carved the marking into his back again.

When Sasuke was thirteen, and trapped within the Tsukiyomi, his brother told him what the letters on his back were. M. I. N. E. Mine. Sasuke belonged to his brother ,and always would.

When Sasuke was thirteen, events that would re-shape his life took place.

When Sasuke was thirteen, he went batshit crazy.

Just like when Itachi was thirteen.

--

End Note: Shorter than the last, only 500plus words this time. Another one of those 'I think of this crap when I'm supposed to be asleep' things. No other notes this time, really. Review, please. 


	3. Fallen Grace

Drabble Number… technically four, but third posted. I can't post the third written one. Heh heh… I'm a perv.

Author notes: My going away present to myself, and a thank you to the viewers for giving me two hundred hits. I wanted to finish Therapy as the going away present, but I tried writing yesterday and it felt forced.

Chapter Title: Fallen Grace

Chapter Rating: Probably K, for some hints at violence, and traumatic themes (well, traumatic to fan girls).

Genre: Tragedy/General

Chapter Summary: I'm compounding on the speculation that prolonged use of the Sharingan makes you go blind. Poor, poor Itachi-kun.

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

His peripheral vision got worse every day. Itachi never said anything, of course, but he knew that what was rumored to happen if he used his Sharingan too much was happening now.

It started innocently enough, his eyes would take longer and longer to adjust from being closed and seeing the darkness--because Itachi had long ago taught himself not to dream--to viewing the waking world. He attributed it to exhaustion, and asked for a week off from his duties in the Akatsuki. A nice hot spring vacation, but his eyes didn't get any better.

Kisame was actually the one who confronted him about it, probably because as partners they could read each other well. The conversation was dull, Itachi trying to keep from sounding defensive, Kisame trying not to sound like he was talking down to him. It ended in them both needing to go off and kill something, lest they kill each other.

Itachi did, however, know that there was a serious problem when he woke up one morning and could no longer tell where the door frame on a door ended and the actual door began without running his hands along it. He'd felt helpless, having to subtly feel his way around so suddenly, like a child. It was a feeling he hadn't had since he was a child.

Things got worse every day and more and more often he would use the large straw hat required for Akatsuki uniform to hide his useless black eyes. He thought at first that not using his Sharingan would make him better, but it seemed the deadly side to the bloodline had all ready destroyed his regular eyesight. He secretly hoped no one noticed when he'd stumble or have to feel his way along at these times, but knew that was pointless. Ninja didn't become Akatsuki members for not noticing things.

He wondered why it surprised him, when he was summoned to the meeting cave, alone, one afternoon. Activating his Sharingan so he wouldn't have to feel his way around entirely, he made his way there, walking slowly so as not to stumble. Leader was there, along with Kisame, though the rest of the organization wasn't. For that, he was marginally thankful. No need for them to see him blind.

"Uchiha Itachi. It has come to my attention, via your comrade Hoshigaki Kisame, that your eyesight is failing you," the Leader began, and Itachi had to hold back the urge to do something uncouth and punch Kisame, "I, too, have noticed that you seem to be faulting in that area, and have made arrangements to take care of it."

Itachi nodded, looking up as if he could see. The almost total blackness that had engulfed his vision, along with the darkness of the room they met in, left him particularly blind. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Even if he could sense Kisame and Leader, not being able to see them made him uneasy. There was no trust among their ranks, simply watchfulness.

"From this point forward, Hoshigaki Kisame shall be your eyes," Leader declared after a moment, making the other two in the room start slightly. Kisame had gone to the Leader with the news of Itachi's eyes figuring they'd steal him some new eyes--he knew for a fact that his partner's little brother still had good eyes--not make some decision so… bloodless. And how was he supposed to lead Itachi around? Every time he tried to even suggest something Itachi normally went ballistic on him.

Similarly, Itachi was wondering if this wasn't an imposter of sorts, posing as their Leader. Him, follow Kisame around? He was better than Kisame, yet he was expected to take orders from the shake-man? It was insane, illogical, and went against everything Itachi believed in. Uchiha Itachi did not take orders from someone lesser than himself.

"If the arrangement does not work out, I have other methods." Leader added, before vanishing. Silently, the two partners looked at each other--well, Kisame looked at Itachi, Itachi's eyes were unseeingly focused a few centimeters to the left of Kisame's face--before Kisame walked over, setting a hand on Itachi's shoulder and leading him from the dark room.

They both had this sick feeling that 'other methods' meant death for someone somewhere, and though neither held much hope for the actual arrangement working out--there was no kinship between them--they both knew that they each had to try. Itachi knew he'd have to resign his pride, while Kisame knew he'd have to try to be gentle-but-not-too-gentle with his partner.

--

End Notes: Aww, poor Itachi-kun. I know this idea has been used before, but the idea just sort of came to me. Hope you enjoy it, I'll see you all in a week.

Oh, and if anyone has any requests for a drabble, about either of the surviving Uchiha brothers, feel free to drop me a line. I'll try my best to write it out. 


	4. Living With Ghosts

Drabble Number Four.

Author notes: I thought this up on the way home from Canada, eh!

Chapter Title: Living With Ghosts

Chapter Rating: T, for themes involving death, paranoia, and my own fun of screwing with Sasuke's mind. Actually, it's closer to M for gore. It's like… a High T. You know?

Genre: Suspense and Drama, I think. I don't really know.

Chapter Summary: Itachi is dead… isn't he? Didn't Sasuke watch his brother die--by his own hands? So why does he keep seeing him, every time he turns around too quickly?

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

_He had fallen to the ground, pinned beneath his stronger--_better_--younger brother. His eyes were black, and emotionless, not begging for life as Sasuke had hoped. But that was still okay. In a few moments, Itachi would be dead._

_Things hadn't quite gone as planned, but that was okay too. Sasuke had stumbled across his brother and the blue guy--Kisame?--in the forest while on his way back to Konoha from a mission. A-level mission, because he was a Jounin now. Not as prodigal as his brother, since it had taken him five years from when he became a Genin until he became a Jounin, but none of that mattered. He was nineteen now, had been a Jounin for two years, was sending in an ANBU application as soon as he number fifty successful A-level missions. This was all irrelevant._

_Neji had been with him on the mission, had taken out the blue guy fairly easily, providing the rather ironically dramatic chance for the last two Uchiha to face off. He would have to thank him later for that, even if the Hyuuga wouldn't have the faintest clue what he meant._

_Neji had known to stand back as they faced off, though. He had gone ahead, promising to come back with a medical squad, should one be needed. Sasuke and Itachi had been alone._

_And it had been nice. Sasuke hadn't thought he'd be able to beat his brother even now, had been kicked around easily. Then Itachi had slipped up._

_It took less than three seconds for Sasuke to gain the upper hand after that. Quite literally, as the chidori that was supposed to go through Itachi's face was dodged. But it did manage to cut off his older brother's right arm. Thanks, bro._

_The affect of the blood loss had been crippling, along with the fact that Itachi could no longer make complete hand seals. Sasuke's next move--an old reminiscent of his Chuunin Exam days, the first time around, the Lion Combo--had broken one of Itachi's legs. _

_His brother had stood again, still upright and conscious on sheer will, Sasuke supposed. Not that it did him much good. A few Kunai into the abdominal area, and Itachi was down again, this time for good._

_Sasuke had wasted no time in pinning him down, a kunai just barely piercing the front of Itachi's shirt, not quite enough to draw blood--yet. That was when he noticed his brother's eyes were black._

"_Why?" Sasuke hissed, pressing the blade closer. "Why did you kill them all?"_

_Itachi had stared at him, emotionless, and Sasuke thought he was going to refuse to speak, when he voice came out. It wasn't weak, wasn't tired, like Sasuke had hoped. It was just there. Plain, controlled, everything that was Itachi._

"_I killed them to give you a chance." He stated, as if stating that the sky was blue. As if the answer should have been obvious._

_Sasuke was about to demand a real explanation, force his brother to tell the truth, something, when his more rational mind--the one that wasn't driven by years of anger and a need for revenge--took over. It didn't cause him to slip up in any way, but it did make him think for a moment. It made sense, in a way. He might not have worked so hard to get where he was now, if the clan still existed. Yeah, it made sense._

_But Itachi still had to die. Even if it made sense, that didn't change._

"_I'll see you in Hell then, Brother." Sasuke whispered, before pressing the kunai into Itachi's skin, slowly, wanting this to last. Blood welled up around the knife, some came from the corners of Itachi's mouth, thick and dark red. Sasuke pressed harder, looking into his brother's face._

Kin. (1)

Sasuke started awake, his whole body tense and alert, hand clenched around the kunai he still kept under his pillow. Everything was still, no breeze moved the curtains because the windows were closed, the fan blades weren't spinning. Everything was as he had left it, in the small apartment he lived in.

Next to him, Sakura--his long-standing girlfriend and soon-to-be-wife--slept peacefully, not plagued by nightmares as he was. Even if it was frowned upon by her family for them to share a bedroom--never mind that they slept in the same bed--they couldn't afford much else. Most of his money from missions went to bills for the small apartment, and supplies for the next mission. Her money from the hospital covered food and clothing, as well as small luxuries. (2)

Everything in the small apartment was as it should be. The bulb above the stove in the other room made a barely-visible line of yellow-tinted light under the closed door. Nothing was out of place, but that didn't put his mind at ease.

Nothing could get Sasuke back to sleep, from hot tea to sleeping pills to jutsu, once he was awake after a nightmare about his brother. Any nightmare, it didn't matter. Sometimes even the dreams that weren't filled with blood and horror left him ill at ease.

Silently getting out of bed, making sure to fix the blanket to that Sakura wouldn't get cold, Sasuke slipped out of the room, into the kitchen. He made sure the door was closed tightly, so any noise he made wouldn't disturb the sleeping girl, before looking around. He was awake, but now what? All his weapons were amazingly sharp, after other sleepless nights, and tea was getting a little tiring. It was true that Naruto lived nearby, but Sasuke got the feeling his other former team mate--and best friend--wouldn't appreciate a… four am visit.

Sasuke looked around, before deciding that he may as well go for a walk, perhaps get in some early-morning training. It was something to do, at least.

Leaving a quick note tacked to the table where Sakura couldn't miss it, Sasuke pulled on his sandals and made his way outside, locking the door behind him. Down three flights of stairs, and then down the street, making his way through the sleeping village streets, vaguely in the direction of the training grounds.

The wind blew after he had gone a few blocked, whistling around the eaves of the buildings he passed. It was early spring, so most windows were still closed, and it was chilly this early, but the cold didn't bother him.

What bothered him was the voice on the wind.

_Sasuke_.

He turned, expecting to see someone behind him, knowing it was stupid and paranoid. No one was there, of course. No one would be, it was crazy.

The wind blew again, and he faced forward, walking head-on into the brunt of the gust.

_Sharingan._

He was going crazy, absolutely bats hit crazy, and it made him want to laugh. Recurring dreams, sleepless nights, and now hearing voices in the wind.

Maybe he should ask for a vacation. Go on a nice, long trip somewhere warm. Like Hell. With his brother.

Under normal circumstances, Sasuke would write off his sleepless nights and nightmares as stress, request a week vacation, and train himself physically and mentally to the point of exhaustion every day during that week, so that he couldn't dream, and had to sleep. By the end of his vacation, he would normally be better, for a few months or even years.

But when you start hearing the voice of your crazy, dead elder brother, you don't call it stress and ask for a vacation. You call yourself crazy, and ask for a stay in a mental home. Or, if you have a reputation to keep, you remain silent and hope it will all go away.

The wind blew again, this time not the biting cold gust of winter trying to move back in, but a soft, warm breeze. It brushed by him, almost like a hand caressing his cheek. Almost exactly like a warm, strong hand--

_Sasuke_.

He shook his head, rubbing at his cheek as if it burned suddenly. This sort of thing was what crazy people did. Uchiha Sasuke was not crazy.

He was getting married in the late summer, to a wonderful girl who could cook, was willing to fix him up for free should he get injured, and was probably great in bed. Yes, a great girl whom he'd known for most of his life now, had liked for about a third of that life--even if he hadn't acted like it--and who always joked about how she made her best friend so jealous. A girl who loved him not only for how he looked and his name, but for who he was. The hidden faults, the little insecurities, and whatever other skeletons were in his closet.

Sasuke shook his head, sick of the introspection. He was at the grounds now, might as well practice some taijutsu, clear his mind.

_Kin._

Sasuke started, in the middle of warming up, and, in a very un-Sasuke-like move, tripped over his own feet. He didn't go sprawling by luck alone, catching himself on a hand, a rock digging into his palm, making air hiss out between his teeth in pain, even as his eyes darted around.

The subtle, familiar sound made when Sharingan was activated. It was no more than a soft noise, something only one used to hearing it would really notice.

Sasuke noticed it now, as his eyes searched about for the source of the noise. His own Sharingan was at rest, needless in his training for now. And there were no other beings capable of--

Again, that sound. _Kin_. So quiet and peaceful and--there!

Sasuke stared, feeling like a fool. Of course, it was windy outside. There was a flagpole on a nearby building. The sound had obviously happened when the metal clip used to hold the flag on the string contacted with the metal pole. He was getting paranoid. (3)

The wind again, ruffling through his hair, like fingers caressing his scalp.

_Sasuke_.

_Sharingan._

_Sssssassssuke._

Sasuke's eyes searched about, looking for the source of the voice. There was no one there, not at four thirty in the morning. Everyone was still peacefully asleep.

So why was he hearing those noises that the wind can't make? Only crazy people hear things that aren't there. Sasuke was _not_ crazy.

He turned, again, looking around. There, in the shadow, under the tree, that was making the noise! That shape, the outline traced thinly by a sliver of moon. The look of the straw hat, and cloak… the cloak that moved as the wind picked up again.

Sasuke's voice froze in his throat for a moment, leaving him in a small, questioning whisper. "Itachi…?"

The wind blew, and the figure stepped forward, and Sasuke could see the limp, and could see how one sleeve on the cloak billow freer than the other as if… as if…

As if there wasn't an arm there.

This couldn't have been happening, not to him, not to Uchiha Sasuke. He wasn't crazy, he didn't see dead people. _He wasn't crazy_.

_Sasuke…_

The voice again, so quiet and familiar, controlled, calm… his brother's voice. The figure took a step closer, left the shadows of the trees, and Sasuke's adjusted eyes could see. Could see the terrible limp in the left leg--that was the leg he had broken--and the way the right arm of the cloak flapped freely.

A strong gust of wind then, making both figures brace themselves against it, and the cloak blew open. Sasuke stared, unable to help himself.

The large hole in the middle of his brother's chest, where he had carved out Itachi's heart after he was dead.

The smaller holes in his lower stomach, where those final kunai had struck.

The ragged gap in his shoulder, where an arm should have been attached.

White bone, protruding from a misshapen leg.

The dark crimson--looking black in this lighting--stains from the corner's of Itachi's mouth.

_Sasuke_.

His brother's lips didn't move, but that didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter, except that his brother was _here_, and not dead, and Sasuke wasn't crazy which meant this was real.

The intellectual part of his mind wondered if this was what a complete breakdown felt like, before he felt himself walking over. Giving in to the insanity that lay ahead.

_Hell got lonely, Sasuke, so I came back…_ The wind whispered, sounding just like his brother--his loved, hated, crazy, envied, powerful, _dead_ brother--and Sasuke believed him.

"Would it be less lonely if I was there?" Sasuke asked, his voice more insecure than it had been in years. He was reminded of when he used to shyly ask his brother for lessons with kunai, or other ninja arts.

_Of course…_ The Itachi-wind whispered in his mind, and Sasuke found a kunai in his hand. He smiled nostalgically, even without proper lighting he could see that it was one of Itachi's old set, probably taken from a dead relatives body.

Sasuke closed his eyes, still smiling at his older brother, and gave into his own insanity. The knife plunged into his stomach, tearing a large hole into his body, as well as a small gasp from his lips, eyes opening involuntarily. He tore upwards, cracking rips with the force of it, ripping his lungs open. His ability to breath slipped away.

Sasuke's eyes closed again, and he felt his brother's one arm around him, felt him helping with the knife.

Then he opened his eyes.

Sun streamed in the curtains, which were moving softly in the light breeze. The room was empty, but there were the sounds of Sakura humming and cooking coming from the kitchen. Sasuke stood, pulling on some pants over the t-shirt and shots he had slept in, and made his way to the kitchen.

Sakura beamed when she saw him, pausing in her cooking--eggs, it smelled like--to go over and kissing his cheek, with a cheerful 'good morning'. She hurried back to the kitchen, and Sasuke was struck with the irony of how normal it all was, after his dream.

Until, that is, he noticed the fresh bandage on his hand, saw it was ten in the morning--Sasuke never slept later than seven or so if he could help it--and realized his sandals were behind him, next to the bed, not by the door.

Sakura set a plate down for each of them, and he sat down, ate breakfast by rote, engaging in small talk about their wedding plans. They'd have to get flowers from the Yamanaka's, of course--partially because of the discount, but mostly, Sasuke suspected, so Sakura could teasingly rub her marriage in Ino's face--and they'd have to convince Naruto that a best man didn't wear orange. Invitations, and other trivial things. It was… peaceful.

Sakura put the dishes into the sink, before making her way towards the door. "I have to get to work now, Sasuke-kun, I'll see you tonight. Don't forget to tell the doctor about your episode last night when you go see her this afternoon." She said, trying to sound cheerful, even though the subject was rather touchy.

Sasuke nodded, kissing her good-bye, promised to clean up the house a bit--since there was nothing else for him to do--and wished her a good day.

Because Sasuke wasn't crazy, and he didn't live in his old life. His brother's ghost wasn't after him, and he had no reason to be paranoid. It was just sometimes he forgot, and sometimes he'd wake up in the middle of the night, or think he did, and walk around town aimlessly, until someone found him doing something crazy and brought him back home. And sometimes he'd still go to the Hokage's office looking for a mission, as if he hadn't been given indefinite leave for emotional and mental instability.

But that was all okay. Sasuke was getting better, and he had a therapist whom he visited three times a week, and sometimes four if he decided he was having a bad week--like this week--to remind him of his sane, rational life. (4)

--

End Notes: I'm back from Canada, eh! Expect the first official chapter of Emotional Instability to be up tomorrow, sometime. This is to tide me over, since I thought of it while I was trying not to sleep in the RV on the way home. Umm.. Explanations and stuff.

(1) I listened to Sasuke activating his Sharingan, and as far as I can tell, it sounds like 'kin'. Or something close to it.

(2) That's right, it's SasuSaku! Deal with it, everyone complains when I write SasuNaru, so here. Nyah.

(3) I live across from a fire station, and whenever I hear the flag hitting the flagpole, that's sort of what it sounds like. Slap a hollow metal rod with a fork.

(4) If you're confused, everything in italics, and until the line of "Then he opened his eyes." was a dream. Sasuke it batshit crazy, and he has amazingly vivid dreams, along with episodes of sleep-walking. We're talking dreams to vivid, he can dream within the dream. It's happened before.

Well, enjoy, and check out the first real chapter of Emotional Instability on Monday!

PS, yes, I just write these and then post them. Half the time I just write to write, and don't care about my own mistakes, but if they bug you--well, you can always copy it into Word or something, and then fix it as you read, I suppose.


	5. Lies Make the World Go ‘Round

Number five, baby! And at one in the morning.

Author notes: Needed to kill some time waiting for Amber-chan to get back from whatever she was doing. I just wrote until I couldn't anymore, I guess. Based on a few of those stories I've read. You know the ones. Watch out for OOC Sasuke and Itachi, but mostly Sasuke.

Chapter Title: Lies Make the World Go 'Round.

Chapter Rating: I'd say a general K-plus, since there's mentions of violence, but otherwise it's pretty tame.

Genre: General

Chapter Summary: Itachi lies to protect Sasuke. He lies to keep his otouto close to his heart. But most of all, he lies because he's good at it.

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

"Niisan, do you have to go on a mission?" Sasuke asked, pouting in a way that made Itachi want to stay home.

"If you want to keep eating three meals a day, yes. And don't pout, your much too old for that." Itachi corrected, offering his younger brother a rare half-smile.

Most seventeen-year-olds wouldn't have enjoyed being thrust into the role of parent when they were only thirteen. They wouldn't have been able to explain to their then eight-year-old brother why Tousan and Kaasan were gone. But Itachi was not called a genius for no good reason.

After all, he got away with the murders. All of them. Blamed a rouge ninja, convinced Sasuke he would find and kill the bastard, and then moved them both far away from the bloody old estate, full of such bad memories.

Far away meaning into an apartment complex across town. One that, ironically, also housed Sasuke's best friend, a boy named Naruto. Itachi had heard rumors about that boy, that he was the demon fox container, but he didn't see any harm in allowing his little brother to have a friend.

"If you get lonely, invite Naruto-kun over, or go see that girl you like, Haruno Sakura." Itachi said as he finished donning his Anbu uniform, looking over his shoulder as his little brother stood in the doorway of their bedroom. Even through the bangs that framed his face--he needed to trim those, again--he could see his little brother blush.

"I don't like her, she likes me." Sasuke muttered, poking at the thin carpet with a toe. Itachi shrugged, pulling his mask down from the shelf, not bothering to put it on yet. Sasuke didn't like his mask.

"Fine, fine. Go see that girl that likes you, Haruno Sakura. Anyways, I've talked to your teacher, and Iruka will be coming over to check on you every day while I'm gone. Mizuno-san across the hall has offered to cook for you, so go over there and bother her if you get hungry--at decent hours. If it's any time that she might be asleep, get some ramen at Naruto's, or something. You know where the emergency weaponry and money are, make sure you get to school on time, and study hard. I want to see improvement when I get back." Itachi was moving towards the door, his eleven-year-old brother trailing after him like a lost puppy, though he didn't doubt Sasuke had taken in all the information.

"How long will you be gone on this mission, Itachi?" The spike-haired boy asked, watching as his brother pulled his sandals on. He didn't see it, as he was facing Itachi's back, but something dark flashed across the teen's black eyes.

"I don't know, Sasuke. Maybe a week, maybe more. Hopefully less, it feels like I never get to stay home anymore." Itachi would keep the good news for when he got home. It would be his little surprise to remind him that quick completion of the mission was best.

"I hope it's less than a week too, niisan," Sasuke proclaimed, looking at least a bit happier. Once Itachi had stood up again, he moved forward, giving his brother a tight hug, feeling the pat on the shoulder that was the return hug--or as much of one as he'd get--and letting go. It had been rather frowned upon before, such open displays of affection for his older sibling, but Itachi never seemed to mind. Sasuke was glad, he secretly thought the hug was good luck.

Itachi put his mask on then, adjusting it before walking out the door, not pausing to wave to his little brother, or looking back. Yes, he'd have to be back in less than a week. At least he was working with Kakashi-san this time. For a whacked-out pervert, the man could get things done when they needed to be done.

A week passed, and Itachi didn't come home. Sasuke spent time helping Naruto study, mostly yelling at his friend for being a dunce. He ate meals cooked by old Mizuno-san, which were better than anything he or Itachi could cook--neither of them had use for learning domestic skills beyond laundry and washing out bloodstains--but nothing compared to what he remembered his mom cooking. He even went over to see Sakura one afternoon, and ended up taking her on a 'date' to the park. It wasn't a real date, as he caught her on the way out the door, and she asked if he wanted to take a walk with her, but it was nice.

Itachi had left on a Sunday, and now it had been an entire week, and was Sunday night. Itachi wasn't back. Sasuke wasn't worried, though. He had said that the mission might take more than a week. Sasuke curled into the large bed the two brothers shared, on his side, and sighed. It felt lonely, without the reassuring warmth of his brother a little ways away. (1) He didn't feel as safe, and slept with a kunai under his pillow, something only Itachi normally did. (2)

Wednesday, Itachi still hadn't come home, and Sasuke went to see Hokage-sama, to see if the old man had word on Itachi's mission status. He knew, from past experience, that all that information was classified, but sometimes if he threw away his pride and asked nicely, the old man would drop a hint. Something like 'their last report was filed this morning, everything is going well'. Sasuke wasn't allowed to know the details of an Anbu mission, no one but the Hokage, the nins doing the mission, and the person who requested the mission knew that. (3) But sometimes he'd get hints.

Wednesday Hokage-sama was busy, with some small crisis on one of the borders. Sasuke decided that if Itachi didn't come home that night, or the next day, he'd try first thing Friday.

Thursday was spent practicing his ninjutsu, as he had a test coming up on transformation techniques. The only time his brother really crossed his mind was when he and Naruto--who were practicing transforming into each other--stopped to take a break, and Sasuke offered to make some food for them. He spotted the shopping list, written in Itachi's neat lettering, tacked to the bulletin board.

By the time he fell into bed Thursday night, he had almost forgotten it had been over a week and a half since he'd heard from Itachi.

Friday, before classes started at the academy, Sasuke was at the Hokage's tower. In fact, he had been there since the sun rose, sitting outside the old man's door, waiting to be able to talk to him.

He must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew he was being shaken gently awake. As soon as Sasuke's obsidian eyes opened, he was on the defensive, as he had been taught to be.

"Take it easy," a voice said calmly, sounding a bit muffled, "you're Uchiha Sasuke, right? What are you doing here, you should be in class." Sasuke was able to focus enough to get a good look at his almost-assailant, and he blinked. He didn't know of any other nin in Konoha who had spiked silver hair, a hitai-ate covering his left eye, and a mask covering most of his face.

"Y-you're Kakashi-san…" He muttered, voice still tired, even if his mind was wide awake. But Itachi had said that Kakashi-san was on the mission with him… Did that mean…?

"I have to get home, Itachi-niisan is there!" Sasuke exclaimed, jumping to his feet, trying to push past the man. Kakashi caught his arm, raising his visible eyebrow.

"Of course Itachi is home. The mission's been over for three days now. Are you feeling okay?" The older ninja reached a hand forward, as if to feel the young Uchiha's forehead for a fever.

"Three days…? But when why hasn't Itachi-niisan some back…?" Sasuke heard himself asking, looking around as if expecting the answers to be written on the wall.

"Yes, I think you have a fever. Here, I'll take you home." Kakashi said, lifting the unresisting Sasuke into his arms. The poor boy must have been exhausted, he was asleep even before they got down the hallway.

Back in the apartment, Kakashi let himself in through the window, setting his small burden down on the bed presented to him. He'd have to find Itachi and tell him about that, undoubtedly.

When Sasuke awoke, he felt lost. Wasn't he supposed to be at the Hokage tower, asking about his brother? And why was he smelling his brother's shampoo so strongly, if he was in bed? Even when Itachi had just washed his hair, his pillow absorbed most of the scent.

"Well, you're finally awake. You had me worried for a moment there, otouto." That was Itachi's voice! Sasuke's head whipped around, so fast he got dizzy and fell back into the vanilla-scented pillow, blinking a few times to bring the form above him into focus.

Itachi sat on the other side of the bed, leaning over his little brother, genuine concern etched into his normally blank features. Slowly, his hand moved forward, and Sasuke felt something cool and damp on his forehead for a moment. What was going on?

"You've been asleep for about twelve hours now, Sasuke," Itachi said, as if reading his mind, "When Kakashi-san found you earlier today you were burning up with a fever. You should have told Hokage-sama if you were sick, I would have come home sooner." Itachi whispered, stroking Sasuke's hair out of his face.

"But… But Kakashi-san said you have been home for three days…" Sasuke whispered, realizing then just how dry his throat was. Itachi helped him sit up for a moment, and held a glass of water to his lips.

"I think you were hearing things, Sasuke… We'd both gotten back that morning. Kakashi-san was on his way to report our mission, and I was on my way home to see you." Itachi gave his little brother an almost-smile, standing up from the bed. "Rest now, Sasuke. I'll bring you some soup."

Sasuke lay back down, again missing the dark look that passed through his brother's eyes as Itachi left the room.

Itachi paused in the doorway, glancing back at his brother. "Oh, and Sasuke, happy birthday." He'd save the rest of the news--how he had demanded a week off, so that he could spend some time with Sasuke--when his little brother was feeling better.

Lying to Sasuke all the time killed a small part of his heart. But every time Sasuke would smile at him, or hug him, or do anything really, it made up for it. He lied to Sasuke, sure, but it kept his otouto close to him. It kept him safe.

Most of all, it kept Sasuke as Itachi's, and Itachi's alone.

--

Whew, not where I thought I'd go with that. To clarify, Sasuke was sick, but Itachi had been home for three days, like Kakashi said. He had been hiding out at the Uchiha estate, practicing Mangekyou Sharingan, or something. Pretty much everything he says to Sasuke is probably a lie, but Sasuke's so devoted to his brother, he's not entirely able to put the pieces together just yet.

Keep in mind, Sasuke thinks some rogue ninja killed his family, so he's still rather untainted.

And now for the notes.

(1) they share a bed for monetary convenience, not because they're incesting.

(2) Again, Sasuke is still pretty innocent, so he doesn't sleep with a knife under his pillow 'just in case'. Itachi, however, does.

(3) I don't know much about the inner workings of Anbu, but I image their jobs wouldn't be public knowledge.

Just as another note, when Sasuke calls Kakashi 'Kakashi-san' he does it because his brother does it, and I'm pretty sure it'd be the generally respectful thing to do. When Itachi calls Kakashi 'Kakashi-san', he's being sarcastic. It's just that the monotone hides it.

By the way things have been going so far, this fic should probably be Itachi-centric, if you happen to notice that pattern in my drabbles. Well, I went against my own grain, and made it center on both of them. It's told more through Sasuke, but there's quite a bit of crazed Itachi introspection there, I think.

Yup, I edited it myself after I realized how many mistakes I had. Changed it a bit, too, since it was originally supposed to be a bit mroe light-hearted.


	6. In The Darkness

Drabble Number Six.

Author notes: Haven't written anything in a little while, a present for finishing up Emotional Instability. Something random I got at like midnight. Oh, and watch out for a first-person PoV.

Chapter Title: In The Darkness

Chapter Rating: M, for yaoi-rific incest and rape, as non-descript as it is. Don't read this if you don't like the idea of two brothers having forcible smex. Also rated for character death, torture, and a bunch of other stuff that's really disturbing, though I tried to be vague about it.

Genre: Horror, Drama, I suppose. Dark is a good genre, too. Some angst thrown in.

Chapter Summary: As this pain envelopes me, and my breathing slows to the point of almost stopping, I feel myself smile. It's nice to be close to my brother again, even if it is in all the wrong ways.

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

It's a very eerie sensation to not have eyes. Especially if you've depended on those eyes for so much more than simple sight for more than half your life. Blinking is especially odd, feeling my eyelids slide over the empty sockets, worrying they're going to sink in and get stuck. I can't seem to control my eye muscles into not twitching my eyelids down. The blood loss from the battle has affected my body.

It's all right, though. Not having eyes, that is. From what I've come to understand you don't need eyes once you're dead. What bothers me is that my tongue is also gone, and the amount of blood I've been swallowing is going to give me stomach cramps pretty soon. Of course, it's either swallow my own blood and get stomach cramps, or choke on my blood and die. And as fun as it would be to take away his chance, I can't seem to force myself to do it.

Even without eyes I can sense when he nears, almost like a brotherly bond, like I can feel the hum of Uchiha in his blood. It's probably more of a training thing. I open my mouth to comment, blood spilling uselessly down my chin and onto my chest, a warm contrast to my cold skin. Sounds escape my throat, unable to form words without my tongue to guide them, so I give up, letting the blood trail down from my lips. It warms me up, even as I grow colder from the loss of it.

I'm bound in no ways, which would normally mean I'd be gone all ready, except I've discovered it's impossible to move when one's leg has been removed from the knee down. That must have happened in the fight, I can feel that the bleeding there has stopped, just as I can feel the red-hot infection crawling inside it.

Both my arms are broken, moving them too painful for proper words, so they sit uselessly at my sides. This entire scenario makes me want to laugh. Or cry. I haven't done both of those in so long, I'm not sure I can tell the sensations apart.

My body is handled almost delicately, turned, pressed into the wall I had been leaning against, stump of my left leg resting flat, grinding dirt into the open wound, right leg folding behind me. There's a moment of odd warmth, as if he's close, then incredible pain that flares up briefly, before becoming just another ache to add to the collection.

Ironic, I won't die a virgin.

I don't think there's pleasure in this lewd act for him, either, though. It's about control, I'd bet anything, about proving something. What I don't know, or care. It's over soon enough, and I'm left along for a moment.

Warm again, on my right side, as I'm shifted to sitting across a clothed lap, like a child. Warm arms around me, then cold steel on my chest. I wonder if I'll stay conscious throughout all of this.

Steel presses into my skin, sharp and cold. Begins to dig, tearing skin, muscle, bone, and organs. It hurts like nothing else has before. As this pain envelopes me, and my breathing slows to the point of almost stopping, I feel myself smile. It's nice to be close to my brother again, even if it is in all the wrong ways.

It's wrong for two brothers to commit acts to and against each other that we have. Wrong to force each other to live in hated, when there should be love and protection. But that doesn't matter, I know inside my slowing heart the truth. It's all my fault.

Summoning the last bit of my strength, going past pain, mental limitations, and even physical impossibilities, I choke out words around ever-increasing blood flow.

"Sorry… Sasuke…"

My eyelids close over the empty sockets, and I can't force them open again. My lungs are torn, fluid fills them, so I stop trying to breathe. My lungs try to force me, but I will them away. It's a lost cause, I'm sure he can see that. I feel as if I'm on the outside looking in for a moment. My chest rises, barely.

Falls.

Stays.

Darkness.

Warmth.

Death.

--

Wow, that was messed up. Gah, went NO WHERE that I wanted it too, but I like it. I'm so sick, I know.

Indeed, Sasuke was torturing Itachi and stuff. I tried to throw everyone for a loop, did it work?

Probably not.

Umm… I really like how I ended this, it seems nice. Kind of peaceful, for such a painful way to die.

If anyone has any requests involving these two brothers, please let me know. I'll write just about anything dealing with them, especially those little introspection pieces.

Oh, and you should go read Emotional Instability, because it's finished. And really good, I'm told.


	7. Rain

Finally, number seven

Author notes: I know, I know, I need to update more often. I got distracted, with the trip to Florida (which was awesome!), and now I'm back in school. Actually, today, 6 September, was my first day. So, here's an update I came up with while watching Storm Stories. Oh, see if you can spot the pairing I hint at.

Chapter Title: Rain

Chapter Rating: T, for mentions of adult themes, though it's quite tame.

Genre: Angsty, sort of. Rather general, I guess.

Chapter Summary: "I hate when it rains," was the simple answer. Nothing to explain why, and nothing more offered. But it was enough.

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

Thunder crashes suddenly, cannon-shot loud, deafening, a short boom that echoed longer. He bolts awake, eyes wide, a kunai all ready in hand, beads of sweat sticking out on his forehead, causing his dark hair to stick to his skin. Next to him, his bedmate shifts at the sudden movement, rolling over. He nearly attacks, before memory comes back and reminds him.

A dark eye opens slowly, before the elder male sits up, staring at the pale, sweating figure before him, the adjustment of his eyes to the dark being abruptly obscured by a bright flash of lightning. Another crack of thunder booms through the air, not a second later. The figure next to him jumps again, shaking slightly.

A careful hand moves forward, taking the hand holding the knife, gentle fingers massaging, until the knife is dropped to the floor. He then speaks, voice calm. "Relax, there's no one here but us…" He says, making sure to be soothing, looking around to confirm such at the same time.

The shaking next to him stops, and he wraps both arms carefully around the thin, pale body. The figure slumps against him, displaying a moment of weakness that would never be seen under normal circumstances. Neither say anything for a moment, the pale figure jumping every time the thunder and lightning crashed.

He shouldn't ask, it wasn't his business, but curiosity was getting the better of him. Shifting, pulling the tense form into his lap, he begins to stroke dark hair, hearing the shaky sigh. He opens his mouth to ask, but is answered instead.

"I hate when it rains." That's all, but it explains everything. He knows enough about his bed partner's past to fill in the blanks, he knows about the rain, about storms.

They both remember the time years ago, when sharing a tent in some anonymous forest, the storm, much like this one, woke them both from their sleep. He had held him then, too. Held and stroked his hair, been surprised not by the shaking form in his arms, undoubtedly trying to hold back tears, but by how natural it felt to simply hold him, and comfort.

It had been years after that incident that their relationship had progressed beyond companionship. It had started simply enough, an offer to share an apartment during off-time from missions. Then a question that he was both afraid to ask, and afraid of the answer to.

And now they shared a bed, among other things. Their relationship, if it could really be called so, was rather private, neither enjoying public displays of affection.

And he's drifting off again, the form in his arms apparently asleep. Shifting to lie down again, muscled arms wrapped around a thin-yet-toned chest, he smiles, kisses the pale, still slightly sweaty forehead, before closing his own eyes.

Having Sasuke as a lover is definitely something not many would have seen coming, but he isn't always sure there's real love there. It is a comfort matter, maybe. He isn't always sure about a lot of things, but drifts off to sleep before having time to really contemplate it.

--

Blah, I don't know. Mostly just something so I could start writing again. Now I have to do my English project. Ha.

The pairing was: Kakashi and Sasuke. Most likely at a time when Sasuke is legal, but who the hell knows.

Oh, and damn was this short.


	8. Fall

Drabble Number Eight, I think.

Author notes: I went through and read all the reviews for this set of drabbles and Emotional Instability, and I just _had_ to write you guys something else. Mostly to show I wasn't dead. Not beta'd, written at midnight, might fix typos later.

Chapter Title: Fall

Chapter Rating: K-plus? Maybe just K?

Genre: General, I guess it's kind of… Light and Fluffy? Like a marshmallow.

Chapter Summary: Out on an errand, a bit of a side-trip. "Little brothers' smiles and fall days fit together oddly well."

Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.

--

Crisp brown leaves crunched under two sets of feet. One took steady, even steps, walking slow enough that the feet at the bottom of the shorter legs could keep up, but faster enough so that those other feet wouldn't dawdle. The other feet crunched through leaves, running, jumping, scattering the dry brown material on the sidewalks, getting then tuck between skin and sandal.

The air smelled clean, a chill bite having forced both figures to don slightly heavier clothes, the taller in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, the shorter in pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a light jacket. The material of the jacket crinkled merrily as the smaller figure moved, hinting that there was still fun to be had before the cold weather kept everyone inside.

Sunlight shafted through the mostly bare branches of the trees, covering the two in alternating patterns of light and shadow, sometimes glinting off of pale skin, or turning black hair to a brown tint, or reflecting off of black eyes that took in it's mid-afternoon glory.

The taller figure paused at the corner, eyes never leaving his book as his hand reached down to stop the smaller from entering the street. Pale fingers rested upon unruly black locks of hair, before the traffic ceased and they stepped across. The errand was a simple one; pick up some groceries from the local shop, given to them by their mother. Well, given to _him_, but Sasuke had insisted on tagging along.

"Niisan." The young voice spoke up now, as if merely the thought of him had pulled him far enough away from the fun of crushing dead leaves that he was required to speak to his older brother.

"Yes, Sasuke." Itachi replied calmly, not looking away from his book, which he held open and turned the pages of with one hand, the other hand hanging at his side, occasionally an uncontrolled swing coming to it.

A small, somewhat sweaty hand fit into the larger, free-hanging one then, grubby little fingers curling around elegantly thin ones. His movement stopped, and Sasuke stopped next to him, as they exchanged a look.

"Will kaasan mind if we stop by the lake?" The young voice asked timidly, and he felt himself trying to smile. Sometimes he hated his own muscular control.

"I don't think she will. It is a nice day after all." He replied, changing their direction, moving away from the market in the town center, instead walking towards the lake. It was much to late for a swim, of course, and neither of them had the proper clothing, but it was somehow… peaceful, just to look at the shoreline in late fall, see leaves float across it's surface, and the occasional child's boat.

That small, sweaty hand held tightly to his as they walked the short distance to the lake, which was really more of a large pond, only perhaps three meters deep at it's deepest point, and around seven or eight meters across at it's thickest, but calling it a lake made it seem so much more vast. He knew the feeling, when he had been young as his brother was now, he had also enjoyed playing along the shores and just watching it, and he remembered how the lake had seemed infinitely deep and looked to stretch beyond the horizon.

Once they reached the rocky shore, Sasuke let go of his hand, something which he was not entirely upset about. The dirty fingernails had unconsciously dug into his palm, leaving shallow marks and some filth or other from his little brother's time at the local playground that day.

Finding a comfortable bench from which to watch his brother and still read his book, Itachi sat down, set a mental timer of ten minutes, and resumed his reading. It wasn't that the book was particularly interesting or important, but it had been lying around his room, a birthday gift from over the summer, and he had decided to start reading it. They had warned him that it might be beyond the level of any eleven-year-old, but he was already proving them wrong.

His dark eyes moved upwards when he heard a splash, catching the resulting ripples, and the form of his six-year-old brother on the shore. Sasuke bent down, lifted another rock, and threw it into the water. Sharp ears heard a frustrated groan, and he concluded that his brother was trying to skip the stones, as their cousin had shown them over the summer--at this very lake, in fact. Shisui was an expert at rock-skipping, and Itachi had immediately picked up the skill, though it seemed Sasuke still needed practice.

His mental timer went off about then, and he rose, calling to his brother that they had to get to the market. There were general protests, though Sasuke obligingly left the lakeshore, hand now damper from the water, and dirtier from the grime on the rocks, but again finding it's place with his own.

He made a quick mental note to wash his hands and Sasuke's when they returned home, before leading his brother back towards the busy marketplace. They were to pick up a few simple things for the night's dinner, and then return home.

"Niisan…" Sasuke started again, and Itachi closed his book, turning his full attention to his brother.

The small figure beamed, the sunlight that glanced off those small white teeth making the expression more charming. "Thank you for taking me to the lake." Sasuke proclaimed, before releasing his brother's hand, darting off ahead of him--but not too far, Itachi made sure--to crunch through the leaves.

Itachi tried to make his facial muscles twitch into a smile, but only managed a smirk, which felt wrong, so he instead resumed his blank visage, walking next to Sasuke and thinking of how little brothers' smiles and fall days fit together oddly well.


End file.
